Players

Connie (Erickson) Brown

Year Inducted: 1995

Category: Players

Schools / Organizations:
(Skokie) Niles West High School
Northwestern University

Biography:

At 5’6 Connie Erickson was a three year starter and all conference player at Niles West High School in Skokie for coach Gene Earl.  She was a member of the Champaign News Gazette and Chicago Tribune all-state teams as a senior and the Tribune’s as a junior.  After leading Niles West to a 28-1 record by defeating (East St. Louis) Lincoln High School 63-42 to win the IHSA Championship in  the last one-class state tourney, Erickson was unanimous all-tourney picks by the AP and UPI.

She averaged 11.8 point, 7.8 assists, 5.9 steals and 4 rebounds as a senior.  Erickson’s eight assists in the title game was a record for eight years while her 28 in the tournament stood for many years.  

Earl said of Erickson, “I can’t believe any player from Max Hooper to Quinn Buckner to Cathy Boswell to Nora Lewis, did more for their teams than Connie did for that state championship team.  Erickson played collegiate ball at Northwestern University and earned all-Big Ten honors as a senior in 1983-84 averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 assists, and 5 rebounds.  She was named second team Big Ten as a junior with a 10.2 scoring average, 6.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds.  As a sophomore starter, she averaged 9 points, 4.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds.  (Note that freshmen did not play on the varsity teams during that era).